Dream a Dream of You
by AndAllThatMishigas
Summary: Jason Gideon left the FBI to find purpose. He wasn't expecting to find her.
1. Chapter 1

**Dream a Dream of You**

Jason Gideon saw a small diner coming up on the rural road and realized he was getting hungry. He parked his old blue SUV in front and walked inside. A busboy wiping the counter gave him a pleasant nod and told him to sit anywhere. Jason chose a booth near the back corner and took his time perusing the laminated menu propped up behind a ketchup bottle on the laminate table.

A glass of ice water was placed in front of him along with a stack of paper napkins. Jason looked up to see a glowing vision. He blinked quickly and saw a smiling blonde woman. She wore shimmering eye makeup and some kind of shiny blush on her face which, with her long honey-blonde hair, gave the impression that she was emitting light.

"Hi, welcome," she greeted. Her voice was kind but firm with self-assurance. That kind of tone came from age and experience. Jason would have guessed she was in her mid-to-late thirties and had worked at this job for a very long time. It was clear, however, that she enjoyed it immensely; the fatigue of a waitress that age was absent from her face. Though maybe her shift had just started.

The waitress raised her brow and her pleasant grin turned into something of a smirk. Jason realized he'd been staring. He cleared his throat and smiled politely. "Hi…" He noticed her nametag. "Jojo."

Her expression faltered and she glanced down with a sigh. "Dammit, Tim!" she called back behind her. She turned back to Jason. "I'm so sorry. My name is Joanna, and despite being a fully grown adult, some of the people in this town still insist on using my childhood nickname. I have gotten at least three proper nametags but this one, the one my boss seems to love so much, keeps making its way back to my uniform." She let out a breath with a huff. "But anyway, I'm Joanna, and I'll be your server today. What can I do for you?"

"What do you recommend?" he asked.

Her blue eyes sparkled with intelligent mirth. "Are you just passing through Los Gatos? Or are you here for a particular purpose? Because food goes with goals as well as moods. So tell me how you're feeling and where you're going, and I'll tell you what you should eat."

"I've been driving across the country. I've done a lot of travel for my job, but there are so many sights I haven't gotten to see. I stopped here for a meal, and I'm eager to see where the day takes me. I don't have a destination in mind," he told her.

Joanna regarded him for a moment. "You should order the California Melt. Turkey burger and a fried egg with bacon, cheddar cheese, and barbecue sauce on sourdough bread."

Jason nodded. "That sounds great."

"Would you like that with fries or coleslaw?"

He looked at her expectantly.

She smiled again. "Fries," she decided for him. "And you should stick around here for a while. We have great hiking trails and a farmers market on Saturday, and there are plenty of affordable inns further into town," she added.

"I just might do that. Thanks."

She walked away to put his order in. He watched her go, taking note of the way her hips swayed and the curve of her body in the simple green dress uniform. With a smile to himself, Jason turned to look out the window at golden hills dotted with dark green trees and black cows grazing and the periodic passing car.

A short time later, Joanna returned with two enormous plates of food. She put one in front of Jason. "You know, I forgot to ask if you wanted anything to drink other than water."

"Actually, I would love an iced tea."

"Sweetened?"

"Yes, please. And with a slice of lemon, if you can."

Joanna nodded. "Indeed. Give me just a sec." She put the other plate of food on the counter and went to get his drink.

The busboy came by and took a few fries off the plate. From the kitchen, Joanna's voice sounded, "Marky, quit taking my food!" She reappeared a moment later and smacked the boy on the arm. With a soft huff, she brought Jason his iced tea. She hesitated a moment in front of him before saying, "I will not be offended in the least if you say no, but could I sit an eat with you?"

Jason was surprised by the request but felt something in his stomach more than hunger. "Please do," he replied, gesturing to the seat across from him.

She brought her plate over with another glass of iced tea. "I'm fascinated by your traveling plan, and I figured that since my shift is over, I could sit with you and hear all about it. If that isn't impertinent."

"No one has expressed any interest before now. I'm happy to share some of my stories," he told her kindly.

"Before you start, try the food. It's my favorite thing on the menu, so I hope you like it. If you don't, I'll whip up something else for you."

Jason found her concern endearing. He took a large bite into a savory, spicy, crunchy, delicious cacophony of flavors. His mouth was too full to speak, so he just nodded emphatically.

Joanna's face lit up. "Oh, I am so glad you like it. I think it's delicious, but it isn't for everyone. I'm glad you've got good taste."

He swallowed and took a sip of iced tea. "It's great. I thank you for the recommendation."

"So in between bites, tell me about what you're doing," she prompted.

It took Jason a moment to collect his thoughts. No one had asked for any details in the many weeks since he had left Washington. And, of course, the whole story would be inappropriate. "I lost faith in my job," he began simply. "I was in law enforcement on the east coast all my life, but I was losing my edge. I resigned before I put anyone in danger. So since then, I've been searching for something new to capture my attention. Just driving around for now, wandering."

"So like a white man walkabout?"

He chuckled at that classification. "I guess so, yeah. Something like that."

She just smiled at him. Her eyes shone when her lips pursed as she chewed.

He paused, noting, "You have a very lovely smile, Joanna."

"Thank you. Your smile seems a little underused, but very nice nonetheless…oh my goodness, I don't even know your name!"

"Jason Gideon."

"It is a true pleasure to meet you, Jason," she said sincerely. "I'm Joanna Graves. I'd shake your hand, but mine is currently covered in delicious barbecue sauce and bacon grease."

Jason laughed again. They continued to talk and eat. He told her about the places he'd been so far. She was very interested, asking lots of questions and injecting her own anecdotes. He couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed talking to another person for this long, feeling this at-ease and this happy.

When they'd finished eating, Joanna wiped her mouth and hands with a few of the napkins she'd brought to the table earlier. She scooted out of the booth and picked up the empty plates. "Can I get you some dessert? We do a great hot fudge sundae."

"Only if you'll share it with me."

Her smiled made her nose wrinkle up. "Alright, deal."

They spent dessert with Jason asking Joanna about herself. She told him that the diner was owned by her Aunt Christine, who managed the business, and Uncle Tim, who ran the kitchen. Marky, the busboy, was their grandson, Joanna's cousin. Joanna had begun waitressing in high school and during school breaks when she was in college, so it seemed like a natural place to keep working. "I'm only here part-time though. It keeps the bills paid and gives me some structure. Tim's the only one who's always here. Christine is actually the mayor of Los Gatos, and Marky is still in high school. Marky's mom, Gwen, is the other waitress with me. I do the lunch shift each day and she covers dinner," she explained.

A comfortable silence came between them. Joanna used the opportunity to clear up the rest of the dishes. Jason watched her quietly. They made eye contact more than once, sharing the smallest of smiles.

"Feel free to stay as long as you'd like," she told him. "I have to get home. But it was really great to talk with you, Jason."

"I enjoyed immensely," he told her earnestly. "Do I pay my bill at the front?"

"Oh it's all taken care of. You were nice enough to let me sit with you."

"It was my pleasure. You didn't have to…"

"I wanted to," she interrupted, placing her hand on his forearm. "But listen..." She pulled her order pad out of her apron pocket and scribbled something down before ripping off the page and handing it to him. "If you do decide to stick around and you need any ideas on where to stay or what to do, feel free to give me a call.

He looked down at the paper to see her untidy but very legible cursive scrawl with her name and phone number and a tiny heart at the end. It made him smile. Jason decided he would drive into the town of Los Gatos and see what he could find. She'd convinced him to give it a try.

Less than ten minutes later, driving past all kinds of trees and beautiful old houses and rose bushes in full bloom, he arrived in what he assumed to be the center of town. A large, manicured park sprawled to the left, and a quaint street full of buildings that looked straight out of the turn of the century went off to the right. He drove slowly, noticing the post office, with its flagpole standing proudly out front. City Hall was across the street from it with a cheery fountain. There were courtyards where shopkeepers put their wares outside to entice customers in, ranging from flowers in front of the florist to a colorful display of wooden animals in front of the toy store.

On the next corner, as luck would have it, was a large wooden sign reading "Garden Inn Hotel." Behind a wrought iron fence enclosing a patio with many large umbrellas.

Jason parked his car around the corner and got his large duffle bag out of the backseat. In less than half an hour, he'd booked a room for three nights. As soon as the bellman had left him, he locked the door behind him and pulled out his cellphone, dialing the number he knew from memory.

"Oracle of Knowledge, how may I help you, hot stuff?" the cheery voice answered.

Jason just sighed audibly.

"Oh my god, finally! It's been a week! Where are you!?"

"Calm down, Garcia. I didn't call because I haven't been anywhere long enough to bother checking in."

"And you are now?" she asked with concern.

"For a little while, anyway. I'm in a small town just south of Silicon Valley."

"California?"

"Yeah. I was in the Grand Canyon, then cut around LA and over to the ocean, heading north."

"No wonder you didn't check in."

"I'm glad you see my point."

There was a pause on the line. "How are you?" she asked him quietly.

"I'm fine, Garcia. How's the team?"

"Everyone is fine. Hotch and Prentiss are back where they should be. Morgan and JJ are the same as always. Reid still misses you, but he's getting a little better about hiding it."

"And you?"

Penelope Garcia smiled, unfocusing her eyes from her many computer screens. "I miss you, too. But I'm better now that you've checked in."

"I'll let you know where I get to next. I'm booked here through Monday. And remember…"

"I know, Gideon. No one else can know I'm in contact with you. As far as they know, you've blown away in the wind. And, given the irregularity of your check-ins, I don't think anyone has noticed a pattern with where and when I've been wiring your severance checks. You doing okay on money still?"

"I'll be fine. Stop worrying."

"I'm not going to stop worrying," she insisted.

"Alright, fine."

"Take care of yourself, mister."

"Right back at you. And Garcia?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." Jason didn't wait for a response before he ended the call. Garcia could now do an easy trace on his cell phone signal and make sure that whatever bank he went to here in Los Gatos would allow him to withdraw as much money as he needed.

He wandered around the room for a few minutes, stretching his legs after so long cooped up in the car for days on end. He looked out the window at the patio below. It looked pleasant enough. Too many umbrellas, though. No good vantage point.

Jason shook his head. He couldn't think like that anymore. He needed to get out of that habit. He seriously doubted he ever would, but steering his thoughts away from tactical analysis was probably a good start.

He crossed the room once more before pulling the small piece of paper out of his pocket. He flipped his phone open again and dialed the number.

On the third ring, a breathless voice answered, "Hello?"

"Joanna, hi, this is Jason Gideon."

"Hello!" she replied brightly. "Oh, I'm so glad you called! Did you decide to stay?"

"I drove into town, per your suggestion, and it seemed like a nice place to spend the weekend. I just booked a room at the Garden Inn Hotel."

"That's a lovely spot. The high school kids like to get rooms there and throw parties after prom."

"Yes, it seems very special," he agreed, somewhat sarcastically.

He was rewarded with a slight throaty chuckle from her. "Well, you should be comfortable there nonetheless."

"Joanna, I don't want to be too forward, but would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?"

"I'd rather you be forward than backward. And I gave you my number in hopes that you'd ask me out. So yes, Jason, I would love to go to dinner with you tonight."

A warm feeling spread through his chest. "I'm glad. I can pick you up at seven, if that works. And you'd know better than me where we should go. I did pass a lot of restaurants on my way here, but I defer to your superior knowledge."

Joanna could barely speak, she was smiling so much. "How about if I meet you in your hotel lobby at seven and we can wander around and see what looks good, hmm?"

"That's probably a much better idea. I'll see you here at seven."

"Great! I look forward to it."

Jason hung up his phone again and placed it on the dresser next to the television. It was only three. He kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the bed with the remote, flipping channels to pass the time. He found an old Abbott and Costello movie and watched it until it was over. By then, it was time to shower and get ready for his date.

He couldn't believe he was actually going on a date. He hadn't been on a date since…well, Sarah wasn't really a date. But he put that out of his mind. This time in his life was about searching and discovery. About himself, his life, the world around him. Perhaps this would prove to be a good part of it. Joanna was very different than the women he usually dated. He'd never really been drawn to blondes before. But this one was very clearly brilliant and funny and supremely beautiful, all things he found admirable and attractive. Jason was glad she'd wanted to sit with him for lunch and even gladder that she'd agreed to go out with him that night. And even if it didn't work out, he was only going to be in town for a few days. No harm done.

Joanna walked into the lobby of the Garden Inn Hotel at six fifty-seven.

"Hey, Jojo!"

She turned to see a lovely dark-skinned woman grinning at her. Joanna sighed. "Crystal, we've talked about this."

"Oh, sorry, _Joanna_ ," the woman replied melodramatically.

Joanna just rolled her eyes. "How are you, Crystal?"

"I'm great! The kids are growing up so fast, I can't even believe it. But the inn is doing steady business and John's got a lot going on with all the redevelopments up in the hills. Everything is really good. How are you?" she asked in return.

"The same as always. Working as steadily as I can when I'm not at the diner. I've been putting in more time there to escape Christine's demands."

"Well, that's what you get being in the mayor's family."

"I suppose so. And I do like all the official ceremonial stuff, but it is very distracting."

"Makes sense. So what are you doing here? You look really nice."

"Thanks," Joanna replied, looking down at the burgundy handkerchief dress she was wearing. "I'm meeting a patron of yours for dinner." She turned at the sound of the elevators to see Jason walk out wearing a full suit and tie. "And here he is now!"

Jason made, in his mind, a bold move by greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. When he pulled away, she had that glowing grin on her face, so he assumed she didn't mind. "Hi. You look beautiful."

Her nose wrinkled up with delight. "Thanks. You clean up pretty good yourself. Though I will say that here on the west coast, a tie is rarely necessary."

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied with a nod. "Shall we?" He offered her his arm and they walked out of the hotel together.

"Alright, what kind of food are you in the mood for? Based on our attire, there are a few options. Italian, French, steakhouse, or Asian fusion."

"Asian fusion?"

"We might be a small town, but this close to the big cities, we're rather trendy," Joanna informed him.

"I think we'd be safer with Italian."

"Perfect. Gardino's it is. It's just a couple blocks away."

"You sure you're okay walking? I can't imagine those shoes are as functional as they are nice to look at."

She laughed. "You're sweet, but I'll be just fine. Though maybe on the way back you'll have to carry me," she teased.

They chatted comfortably as they walked. Joanna pointed out various landmarks on the way, places with interesting history that had an important part of her life. She'd lived all her life in that town, and it was clear she stayed because she wanted to. She lit up as she spoke, and Jason felt illuminated just to listen to her.

When they arrived at the restaurant, the maître d' gave Joanna a big hug. "Hey there, you! It's been forever since I've seen you in a restaurant!"

"Hi, Sarju. I'm sorry I've been absent from the social scene for a while. I've been busy. But we would like a table for two, if you've got one."

"For you, always." Sarju leaned in close to Joanna. "Who's the guy?"

She chuckled. "This is Jason Gideon. We met earlier today and he's decided to check out our town for a few days. Jason, this is Sarju Naran. We went to high school together. He's one of the few who stayed in town after college, like me."

Jason nodded politely at the man and followed Joanna to a table in the corner. He held her chair out for her. She regarded him with light surprise, clearly impressed with his gesture.

If you asked Jason what they had eaten for dinner that night, he wouldn't have been able to tell you. It must have been delicious, because he ate every bite. But his attention was more on his dinner companion than on his dinner. They talked about music and movies and books and travel and history. He laughed more than he had in years. Her smile gave him more butterflies the more he saw it. Or maybe it was just the wine.

"Now, I don't know about you, but I normally don't have dessert twice in one day. And we did have that sundae with lunch. But they do have a tiramisu here that'll make you cry, it's so good," she informed him.

"I'll splurge a little if you will."

Joanna paused, biting her bottom lip and thinking. Her eyes were sparkling with an idea. "Well, what we could do is take some tiramisu and another bottle of wine to go and have dessert back in your hotel room. If that's not too forward of me to suggest."

Jason's heart skipped a beat at the prospect. He grinned. "Well, as you said, better forward than backward."

"Is that a yes?"

"Of course."

Jason paid the check and Joanna picked up their dessert and wine from Sarju at the front of the restaurant.

"Now, you did say I might need to carry you back after dinner. How are your shoes holding up?" he asked, equally kidding and concerned.

"I think I can walk just fine. I'm eager to get to our destination."

With the bottle of wine in one hand, Jason took Joanna's hand and brought the back of it up to give it a gentle kiss.

"Mmm. Soft lips," she commented. "That bodes well."

Jason had never been with a woman so unabashedly bold before. It was intoxicating and exciting. As they walked, he felt her eyes on him, watching every facet of his face. He couldn't recall a time that had ever happened. He was used to being the one who watched, not the one who was watched by another. At least not consciously. Not like this. His nerves sparked in anticipation of what was to come.

They ignored everyone on the streets and in the hotel lobby as they made their way up to Jason's room. His hands fumbled nervously with the key as Joanna traced soft lines on his back. His jacket was suddenly stiflingly hot, his tie too tight around his neck.

"If you don't mind, I'll open the wine," Joanna said when they went inside. "Take your jacket off. Loosen your tie. Get comfortable."

It was as though she'd read his mind. He did as she suggested. But he kept his eyes on her as she got the corkscrew and a few glasses out of the minibar. She slipped her shoes off and rubbed the back of her right foot against her left calf. A moment later, she brought two glasses of wine over to him, handing him one. They clinked glasses each took a sip.

"Still tastes good to me."

Jason smiled at her. "Would you like to dance?"

"What, here?"

"Yeah."

She gave a slight shrug. "Sure."

"Give me just a minute." Jason went to his duffel bag and pulled out a small CD case and took out the one he was looking for. He put it in the stereo alarm by the bed and pressed play. Dean Martin's voice began to sing an old love ballad.

"You can't have known that I love this song," Joanna said in surprise.

Jason made his way back over to her, taking the wine glass out of her hand and putting it on the dresser for safe keeping. "Lucky coincidence." He took her right hand in his left and spun her slowly, leading her to him. He placed his hand at the small of her back. She started out with her left hand on his shoulder, but after a few moments, she took a step closer, putting her arm around his neck. As they danced cheek to cheek, Jason was glad he'd thought to shave before their date.

He wasn't sure who had initiated it, but they found themselves kissing before the song was over. Jason let go of her hand in order to cradle her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. Joanna's arms were around his neck, pulling him closer and closer. He took a few steps forward until the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, causing her to sit and forcing them to break apart.

Joanna looked up at him with a sexy grin and immediately began to unbuckle his belt. Jason felt a stirring grip in his lower abdomen and tried to catch his breath after their all-consuming kiss. He took her hand and pulled her back up so he could kiss her more. She willingly agreed, but her fingers went to work on the buttons of his shirt. Before she could finish, Jason turned her around, kissing the back of her neck as he unzipped the back of her dress. She gasped and tilted her head to give him easier access.

Various articles of clothing were strewn across the floor. The wine was abandoned. Jason's body covered Joanna's as they moved together on the bed. She alternated between guttural moans and high pitched gasps, depending on the way he touched her. Joanna moved his hand to where she needed him. He was happy to follow her direction, to give her exactly what she wanted. And when she breathlessly called out his name, he tumbled into ecstasy.

Even after they were finished, he didn't want to let go of her, didn't want to stop looking at her, feeling her body on his. Joanna seemed to agree; she remained close to him, her head resting on his arm as they gazed into each other's eyes.

After catching her breath, Joanna leaned in to dust soft kisses on his lips. "That was amazing," she whispered.

Jason couldn't find the words to speak just yet. He just smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Your eyes look like they've seen too much. But I'm glad they don't look as sad now as they did earlier."

A part of him was bothered by her words, that she could see so much and feel no reticence in speaking such painful truths to him. But he'd spent too much of his life in silence, not hearing what needed to be said or saying what he felt. This was, in many ways, a welcome change. All he could do in response was gently stroke her blonde hair.

For the next three days, Jason spent every morning and every night with Joanna. They had breakfast together in his hotel, after which she would go home to change for her lunch shift at the diner and Jason would go hike one of the many trails in the hills, enjoying the opportunity to do a little birdwatching. They would meet in the evening to go out for cocktails and dinner at a different restaurant each night, then fall back into bed in Jason's room.

On Monday, when he was supposed to check out, he woke with Joanna in his arms once again. He softly kissed her awake. She blinked her eyes open and treated him to one of her glowing smiles.

"I'm supposed to check out of the hotel today," he informed her.

Her brow furrowed slightly. "I know it isn't my place to say, but I don't really want you to go."

He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. "I don't have to go."

She rolled over onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows to look at him. "Do you want to stay?"

The corners of Jason's mouth ticked upward. "I like Los Gatos, and I've never been good at saying goodbye." His fingers traced the edge of her cheek.

"Do you want to stay?" she asked again, this time more insistently.

"I've been traveling for so long and I haven't found any place I didn't want to leave after a few days. But obviously this is different."

"Jason!" she laughed. "Answer my question!"

He chuckled. "Yes, I want to stay. If you don't mind."

"On the contrary. I very much want you to stay. But it is stupid for you to continue paying for a hotel room." She sat up and grabbed the robe from the foot of the bed. "After breakfast, pack up your stuff and check out, and I'll take you to my house. You can get settled in while I'm at the diner."

"Are you sure?"

"I think I'll like coming home to you," she told him. "And you can stay as long as you want."

And Jason did just that. He called Garcia to check in again, realizing it had been a while since he'd called.

"You gotta quit doing that! A week was bad enough, but it's been almost a month since you called from California!" she scolded.

"I'm still in California."

"Did you go north or south?"

"Neither," he informed her. "I've been staying in Los Gatos. And I think I'll be here for a while longer."

Garcia was surprised to hear that. "Really? Why?"

"It's a nice town. Quiet but not too sleepy. The people are nice without being nosy. And I'm staying in a house up in the hills."

She nodded knowingly. "You did always like the wilderness."

Joanna came home and heard Jason talking in the living room. "Jason, who's that?" she called.

Garcia overheard and gasped dramatically. "Jason, who _is_ that?!"

"I'll be here until further notice, Garcia. Thanks." He hung up and went to kiss Joanna hello.

"Who's Garcia?" she asked curiously.

"She was on my team at my old job. I call in every so often so she can make sure my severance checks get sent to the right place. I haven't checked in since the first day I got here. I didn't want her to worry," he explained.

Joanna just nodded. Jason appreciated that she didn't ask any questions. But he soon found the reason for that.

They woke up late that Sunday morning. Joanna stretched and gave a quiet groan before rolling over and resting her head on Jason's chest, her arm draped over his stomach. "I don't care if it's too soon or if you don't want to hear it, but I love you," she said, her voice quiet and groggy with sleep.

Jason hadn't expected that. He didn't quite know what to say, so he stayed quiet.

Joanna continued, "You've been here a month, and I like the way we fit. But I don't know anything about you from before you got here. I know you're a great cook and you like birds and trains and you're extremely well-read and a great singer. But I've tried not to ask questions, because I didn't want to scare you off. I didn't want you to leave. After all this time, though, I feel like you can't stay with this air of mystery around you. So if you do want to continue your wandering and drive away and never look back, that's fine. I just wanted you to know that I love you, and I will listen without judgment if you want to tell me things. Because I just want to know you."

It wasn't until that moment that Jason fully realized that her lack of curiosity was completely intentional. And there was a lot she'd figured out without him knowing. He shouldn't have been surprised. He'd discovered that she was a brilliant writer; that's what she did when she wasn't at the diner, and that's why she only worked part time. She'd written three novels, each having gotten a fair circulation in small bookstores. To be as good as Joanna was, a person needed to have a deep understanding of humanity.

"I spent over thirty years in the FBI, most of those in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. I was a profiler. My team traveled the country, whenever we were invited by local police, to develop the profile of a criminal. Sometimes we'd have arsonists or kidnappers, but the vast majority were serial killers. A very dear friend of mine was murdered in my apartment by a serial killer I had let go months before who had then come after me. And after that, I couldn't be objective anymore. I couldn't separate what had happened from the work I continued to do. We caught the guy, but I just couldn't let go. So I resigned and packed up the few things I had that mattered and got in my car and drove. Until I ended up here."

Joanna listened quietly. When Jason finished speaking, she didn't say anything. She didn't even move from where she lay in his arms.

He allowed her to process for a minute before adding, "I didn't set out looking for anyone to help me through everything. I was looking for faith and purpose. And I found you. Like an angel from a dream, a glowing beacon of joy. Being a part of your life has helped me find my own again. And I'll always be grateful to you for that." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Joanna," he whispered.

She finally sat up to look him in the eye. With a secretive smile on her face, she asked, "Not to sound like a broken record, but does this mean you're staying?"

"I'm going to have to find something to do beyond hike and cook dinner for you, but yes. I'm staying."

Joanna leaned in and kissed him enthusiastically. Jason held her in his arms, knowing he'd never let her go.


	2. Chapter 2

_Garcia,_

 _You can stop the stealth work you've been doing for me now. I've stopped wandering. The return address on this letter is my permanent address now. And you can feel free to share this letter and anything else with the team. I'm still staying away from the FBI, but I'd love to see anyone who might be in the area sometime._

 _I've started teaching at a local community college. Right now it's just one Criminology course. A lot of cops from the surrounding cities take it as a supplementary continuing education kind of thing. Other than that, I do a lot of hiking on my days off, sketching birds. I've also been helping Joanna write about me and my time in the BAU. I haven't shared anything that isn't available through public records in court cases of the people we've put away._

 _Joanna Graves is the woman in the photo with me. She said I should include a picture because none of you have probably ever seen me so happy. She isn't wrong. She's my glowing savior, with a wicked sense of humor. She's why I stayed here in Los Gatos. I left to search for a renewed belief in happy endings, and I truly believe that she is mine. I hope you all get to meet her someday. I think you and Morgan would especially get along with her. Ad tell Reid to read her books I think he'd enjoy them if he's got a half hour to spare sometime._

 _I suppose I've wasted enough paper, so I'll just end by thanking you and the whole team for the years of adventures and good work. I owe my newfound happiness in large part to the humor, loyalty, dedication, brilliance, and friendship I've gotten from you all._

 _Good luck with all your work going forward. Don't be strangers._

 _-Jason Gideon_

Penelope read the letter three times before making photocopies. She kept one for herself and distributed the rest to Hotch, Morgan, Prentiss, and JJ. She gave Reid the handwritten original.

When she left for the day a few hours later, she saw the letter still out on Reid's desk as he scribbled what was sure to be a lengthy reply.


End file.
